Production of liquid hydrocarbons



Patented Mar. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATHIAS PIER, OF HEIDELBERG, AND WILHELM PUNGS AND BUDOLF WIETZEL, OF

LUDWIGSHAFEN-ON-T HE-RHINE, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TO I. G. FARBENINDUSTBT AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY PRODUCTION OF LIQUID'HYDROCARBONS 1N0 Drawing. Application fll'ed'September 13, 1927, Serial No. 219,862, and in Germany September 22, 1924.

We have found that liquid hydrocarbons, especially such as belong to the benzene series, are obtained by passing methane or ethane or mixtures of both together with sub- 1 stantial amounts of unsaturated hydrocarbons, especially olefines, or of the higher homologues of the parafiin series containing 3 or more carbon atoms in the moleculeand which are gaseous under the-conditions of working .10 over catalysts at elevated temperatures, preferably between 500 and 900 C. The gas mixtures to be employed may also contain free hydrogen, but preferably its quantity should not be large. Generally speaking, the gas .1 mixture should be so composed that the ratio of carbon combined with hydrogen to free and-combined hydrogen is greater than the ratio of these elements in methane. However,

i the highest content of hydrogen allowable 2 without the yield being diminished depends also on the composition of the gas mixture and the other conditions of working.

The process according to this invention may be carried out under ordinary pressure.

Particularly good yields, however, are ob-- t-ained when working under elevated pressure, and such pressure may be as high as 50 or 300 or 1000 atmospheres or even more.'

The catalysts to be'employed in the process here described are such comprising compounds of magnesium and/or glucinum, for example carbonates or other salts or hydroxids oroxids thereof, if desired in admixture with compounds of selenium, tellurium or thallium, or active silica or active charcoal or mixtures of these substances with each other or with other materials.

For example, very good results are obtained with magnesium carbonate, glucinum' oxid. It is very advantageous to employfor the reaction the gases or vapors resulting from the distillation .or decomposition of coal, tars or mineral oils, which gases or vapors are rich in olefines. The ages or vapors mafy be passed directly over t e contact mass e fecting condensation or they may be previously subjected to a suitable treatment w th aview to remove certain components for example to removecarbon dioxidby treatment m with alkalis, or to add certain hydrocarbons methane and 11.9 per cent of nitrogen is taming-40 ,per cent of methane, 27 per cent or to pass the gas mixture first over a prehminary contact mass, for example such of a dehydrogenating character, at a temperature equal to or higher or lower than that employed for the" reaction. Gases rich in ethane or its homologues are suitable for the present process and it may be found desirable to subject them to a two-stage treatment byiirst passing them at an elevated temperature over a catalyst for converting said saturated hydrocarbons intoethylene or other olefines whereupon the gas is rapidly cooled, if so preferred, and then passed over a catalystespecially adapted to effect the conversion into'benzene hydrocarbons. In some cases, any carbon monoxid present in the gases also reacts 'with hydrocarbons of the paraifin series with the formation of liquid products and its may be advantageous to I(I11lX the reacting gases with carbon mm: 0x1

The followingexample will further illus trate how our invention may, be carried out in practice, but the invention is not limited to this example.

E sample A gas resulting from the low temperature carbonization' of coal and containing about 6.3 per cent,-by volume, of carbon dioxid, 12.6 per cent of so-called heavy hydrocarbons of the general formula C H n being 3 or more, 4.6 per cent of carbonmonoxid, 11.2 per cent of hydrogen, 53.4 per cent of passed directly or after removing the carbon dioxid at between 600'and 700 C. through a quartz or porcelaintube filled with. granulated magnesite. On cooling the gas leaving the furnace a liquid is obtained between about 40 and 45 per cent of which consist of crude benzol.

Instead of the said low temperature carbonization gas for example an oilgas conof hydrogen and 33 per cent of heavier hydrocarbons of the general formula G H n being 3 or more maybe employed. The yield is oftenconsiderably increased by the presence or addition of small quantities of acetylene.

We claim: v

1. The process of producing liquid hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a saturated hydrocarbon containing not more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule in mixture with substantial amounts of hydrocarbons which are aseous under the conditions-of the process om the group consisting of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and higher saturated parafiin hydrocarbons containing more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule over a catalyst of non-metallic character containing a substance from the group consisting of compounds of magnesium and glucinum at tem peratures ranging between 500 and 900 C.

2. The process of producing liquid hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a saturated hydrocarbon containing not more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule in mixture with substantial amounts of hydrocarbons which are gaseous under the conditions of the process from the group consisting of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and higher saturated parafiin hydrocarbons containing more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule over a catalyst of non-metallic character containing a substance from the group consisting of compounds of magnesium and glucinum at temperatures ranging between 500 and 900 C. under a pressure in excess of 50 atmospheres.

3. The process of producing liquid hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a saturated hydrocarbon containing not more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule in'mixture with substantial amounts of hydrocarbons which are aseous under the conditions of the process rom the group consisting of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and higher saturated parafiin hydrocarbons containing more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule over a catalyst of non-metallic character containing a substance from the group consisting of compounds of magnesium and glucinum at temperatures ranging between 500 and 900C. and under pressures higher than atmospheric pressure. 7 p

4. The process of producing liquid hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a saturat- -ed hydrocarbon containing not more, than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule in mixture with substantial amounts of Hydrocarbons which are gtseous under the conditions of the process m aliphatic hydrocarbons and higher saturated paraflin hydrocarbons containing more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule with hydrogen over a catalyst of non-metallic char acter containing a substance from the group consisting of compounds of magnesium and glucinum at temperatures ranging between 500 and 900 0., the proportions of the gases bemg so chosen that the ratio of carbon combined with hydrogen to free and comthe' group, consisting'of unsaturated bined hydrogen is greater than in methane.

5. The process of producing liquid hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a mixture 6. The process of producing liquid hydrocarbons, which comprises passing a saturated hydrocarbon containlngnot more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule in mixture with substantial amounts of hydrocarbons, which are gaseous under the conditions of the process, from the group consisting of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and higher saturated parafiin hydrocarbons containing .more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule over a non-metallic catalyst comprising a substance from the group consisting of compounds of magnesium and glucinum at temperatures ranging between 500 and 900 (3., the proportions of the gases being'so chosen that the ratio of carbon combined with hydrogen to free and combined hydrogen is greater than in methane.

7. The process of producing liquid hydrocarbons,-which comprises passing a saturated hydrocarbon containing not more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule in mixture with substantial amounts of hydrocarbons, which are gaseous under the conditions of. the process, from the, group consisting of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and higher a non-metallic catalyst comprising a substance from the group consisting of oxids and hydroxids of magnesium at temperatures of between 500 and 900 C., the proportions of the gases'being-so chosen that the-ratio of carbon combined with hydrogen to free and combined hydrogen is greater than in methane. p v

8. The process of producing liquid hydro carbons,which comprises passing a saturated hydrocarbon containing not more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule in mixture with substantial amounts of hydrocarbons which are gaseous under the conditions of the process rom the group consisting of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons 'and higher saturated parafiin hydrocarbons containing more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule over a catalyst of non-metallic character containing a substance! from the pounds of magneslum and glucinum attemperatures ranging between 500 C. and 900 C. and under a pressure between 50 and 1000 up consisting of 'comeanne substantial amounts of hydrocarbons which are gaseous under the conditions of the 1 process, from the group consisting of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons and higher 5 saturated paraflin hydrocarbons containing more than 2 carbon atoms in the molecule over a non-metallic catalyst comprisin an oxid of magnesium at temperaturesof between 500? and 900 C. and under pressures of between 50 and 1000atm0spheres, the proportions of the gases bein so chosen that the ratio of carbon combine {with hydrogen to free and combined hydrogen is greater than v in methane. 15 In tatimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

- MATHIAS PIER.

W'ILHELM PUNGS. RUDOLF WIETZEL. 

